March 4, 2013

(talking to Chantz on Christmas--can't believe he will be home in 3 1/2 months!!)

Familia Mia!

Well I am just right and dandy. Things have been quite a bit of a rollercoaster this week let me tell ya. We had a lot of great things and a lot of pretty sad and disappointing things too. But they weren’t really disappointing. First off though sounds like the family is doing great and that everything is coming together pretty well. I love to hear that you guys are all doing great and that things are awesome. Congratulations to Cassie!! I cannot believe you graduated from hair school!! I am so excited for sweet haircuts! hahhaha Well I must say I am fairly trained with a buzzer. I have cut my hair and quite a few others hair too but a few times it was pretty embarrassing. So I trust you will do a much better job than I could ever do. Mom “Elder Juice” is super healthy! It helps the body functions right and actually has helped our members lose a lot of weight just with better body function. It maintains his diabetes and his sleeping patterns have returned to normal! Plus we have been sleeping like champs! hahaha We wake up way easier now than before. The only downfall is Mr. Gift. hahahaha But that adds color to life. Actually the member once let one slip! It was quite funny. I did get readmitted this week and my scholarship is back on and I almost have my major changed to Business Entrepreneurship. I got my ASU account back up and I am ready to register by March 26. So we were lucky because Elder Durrant just got in to BYU so he had a bunch of stuff to do on the computer so I just did all mine too! hahah I will have to look the classes up and give you a list of all the ones I need. So you guys can go on and do it on the 26th. I feel a lot more organized and capable nowadays.. hahhaa Blessings I tell ya. Manny is well and we have an appointment with him on Thursday because transfer week was busy. By the way I am staying with Elder Durrant and will probably finish here. For my birthday just save the money please because I am telling you right now none of my pants are going to fit and any shirt smaller than a large is not going to either. hahaha Plus I have plenty out here to make it the last 4 months. But I would ask for some fresh garments for when I come home. Two years and a lot of bike riding and sweat have done some work. I feel like I am 20 but nowadays people are guessing like 23 to 25 so I don’t know. This is going by soooooo fast! haha Well we also just got the car back for full car again which means sisters here are now on car share and so is everyone else who is not zone leader. haha

Well as for the work and my week--like I said it’s quite the rollercoaster. We had a beautiful family night with our two most progressing investigators the Garrido family and the Colon family and our ward mission leader-- The Betancourt family. We watched the Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration video and it was great! They liked it a lot, or so we thought. Well last week the Colon family had come to church and had said they really liked it but then when we had planned to go over this week they ended up dropping us pretty hard. They sat us down and begin to tell us how they didn’t think the movie had talked enough about God, and how church should have been longer, yea longer! Then they start into how we talk too much about prophets because the talks were quoted with many lines from prophets and such on Sunday. Then after really trying to follow the Spirit because they were like wrenching my heart we get them to admit that every time they prayed to know if this is the true church they have felt peace, and they recognize all the blessings they have gotten since starting with us. It came to the point where I realized my Heavenly Father was teaching me something. The line from preach my gospel that says "Even after you have done all you can do, People still have their agency." The quote kept coming to my mind and reminding me that I have to accept that and let go. In that moment when I decided to let go I can honestly say I began to cry. I felt so much love and have tried so hard to love these people but allowing them their free agency was just all I could do. I realize now that it takes even greater love to give in and let others make that choice. I witnessed what Heavenly Father must feel when we make wrong choices. Letting go and letting them do something that will destroy all they have obtained by respecting free agency requires Great love. I did not cry because I believe this is the end, I did not cry because I may not see them baptized I cried because just as the scripture says in 2 Nephi 28 :30 they will lose everything they have been given. They will be brought to their knees in humility and they will have to realize what they have done. I do not want them to suffer what they have chosen to suffer but repentance is a beautiful thing. I love that I was able to experience this. That my Heavenly Father saw fit to teach me this concept. I feel it will take a lot longer to be good at it but its starting. Also that same day we got a message from one of my favorite investigators because she is a little bit of a battle, saying that she did not want to continue with us either, that her pastor from Puerto Rico had told her many things about us and that she no longer wanted to see us. So over the phone I reminded her about the peace she had felt with us and begged to be permitted to answer questions. Well--we go over and in a short and very easy loving manner we were able to reconvince her and to settle her nerves. I love the gospel because it is true and brings peace to our souls where other things cannot. Well she ends up sharing with us how she thinks of missionaries as angels. Omar was with us and he also begins to share how that’s exactly how he feels. That they come when needed and when we are standing-- they must leave to help others. It was very intesting because in a study I did back in Wauchula I followed a chain of scriptures and words and was led to the understanding that missionaries are angels. And I always thought that was very cool and interesting but to live it and hear it from the mouth of someone else is a whole different experience. I felt so much love again as I realized the blessing it is to serve, to be those angels, to bring peace, love and happiness to those who are seriously in need of it. To go among the poor of spirit and to share the message of the restoration, to teach the plan of salvation and to help others realize they are heirs to the kingdom of God. It’s a very beautiful thing. However we had the Garrido family finally at church and it was awesome! The Spirit was SUPER strong and they left happy as clams. haha However we just got news not five minutes ago that they were in a car accident and that it was serious. We are going to see them in the hospital soon. Also our bishop just had a stroke and is also in the hospital. So many ups and downs for this week. We also got a new investigator who is super into learning. Not to mention we had been thinking about knocking this one certain house that our investigator lady wanted us to go to, but we were at a lesson with someone else when this lady asks us to come to her house and it ends up being that exact house!! How crazy is that? I am sooo stoked to go over and start teaching. She is sooo nice and was actually interested enough to give us her information and ask us to come over. We really didn’t even do anything! haha I can just promise that the Lord provides when we ask and act.

Lightning round. 2 Nephi 28: 30 is my favorite verse to help people feel comfort with us and was actually something that really helped me on my mission because I thought I had to be awesome from day one till going home. I hope you all know any success I have is not from what I do but from what the Lord does for us. I believe the Book of Mormon to have powers that we can’t even comprehend. I weigh 185 still. I love fasting. It almost snowed in Florida. I am almost done with Jesus the Christ and have developed a hunger for it. I LOVE EMPANADAS. I hope you know we always have a place to stay here in Florida. I may be sending a guy named Sergio who is an awesome return missionary who served in California to come and visit you. The cancer in the father of the Berrios family has completely gone away. although we had to give him to the sisters here. I am super excited for all of you to get to serve a mission and I know it will be the greatest adventure of your life. Any preparation you do now will help. Watch the District videos online. They will help your desire. I love you and miss you guys so much!

LOVE, ELDER OLIVER

February 25, 2013

BUENAS DIAS!

Hey I am kinda sorry about this but I don’t have much time because I had to do a bunch of picture stuff and my time is really short! I am trying to get the cards out to you this week but you might be disappointed at how little amount of new ones there are. But anyways as for this week it has been awesome. Just some highlights.

We got the Colon family to come to church, We have 3 people committed for next week, We found a new investigator who asked us when we are coming back, We just got a ton of food and we just got a juice named ELDER JUICE after us. We had a bunch of awesome really good lessons where many a doubt was brought out and tonight we have a family night with 2 investigator families--and 1 other investigator (lady in the picture with the old guy ((that’s Omar our recent convert who is on fire))) We just got a referral from the ward and she is interested, We almost set a baptismal date with a guy named Manny who is awesome. He’s a super tough Puerto Rican but he super respects President Summerhayes so we brought him with us and the lesson went great. President Summerhayes is going to work with us together to get him baptized before we go home. So there is a lot of good things and much more to come. “Elder Juice” is super good for you it’s just blended up fruits and veggies that pretty much have saved people from cancer but at the same time give a man enough "magic" to offend some people close by if you know what I am saying;) hahahahaha Also Mom and Dad I am starting the process of getting signed back up to go to school on permission of President. I hope to be able to do that quickly and get everything I need. Apparently classes are already open for choosing! My comp is looking at going there so.... I really love your letters and I have really been trying to write well but this week you must excuse me. I feel like I just got slapped with a pan and all of a sudden I realized oh yea there is life after the mission and I have to sign up soon or I will have to go through what I went through last time. I am changing to business and that means the whole process of changing a major too. In other words-- I feel a little stressed right now and hope this week allows me to take care of everything and still get all the work done we need to.  Lightning round, We had a beautiful lesson on the spirit and how to recognize it with the Garrido family, We were able to solve a huge problem for the Colon family and they recognized that as God telling them to go to church. So they came. Migdalia didn’t want to have us over but we promised it would make her happy and that she would feel hope if she let us come over so she did and we brought a member that was saying the exact things she needed to hear and now she told us that she wants to go to our church because we make her feel happy and peace. I love the gospel and I testify of the power it has to bring peace and happiness and joy into our lives. The gospel is the good news and it produces better people. I love to share it and I have felt myself let go a little more and trust in the care of my Heavenly Father. He is there. I can feel it every time I kneel down to pray. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND MISS YOU MUCH.

LOVE ELDER OLIVER

February 19, 2013



HEYO FAMILYO!
Well this week was quite different. Beautiful in many ways and kinda slow at the same time. But first I must thank you guys for the wonderful and greatly detailed letters. I truly appreciate them. Mom I will try to send you my pictures but I don’t know how many more I have really taken. I will see if I can send home my hard-drive and my most recent camera card. By the way I found the other one that I thought you had lost.... Yep I admit it and I am repenting of it. So very sorry about that. Also I did get the package! It was awesome and I destroyed it! hahaha I love those cookie and creme drops!!! Also I think it did get here on Valentines Day. It may have been on the day before but hey I ain’t complainin. Thank you so much for always making my holidays more special!

So this week I had some of the most beautiful moments of my life! It was one of those pay off weeks. I just had it reconfirmed to me that my work is good and that I am doing well. In other words--there were many a tender mercies going around. To start off (not really a tender mercy) I won in racquetball and stayed as king of the court the whole entire time!! hahahaha but just barely. Aside from that we have been able to change our teaching methods a little and the results are fantastic!! We have the two families, Colon and Garrido, and they are both progressing very well but kinda not progressing because they can never come to church. So we have kinda been thinking about maybe slowing down with them, plus I am kinda the type to want to work only with those who are on fire, Ready and prepared to receive the gospel and make covenants. But--with these two families I have learned so much patience and my ability to love has grown so much more. First we had a wonderful lesson with the Colon’s on Tuesday where we went back over the plan of salvation and we invited them to say a 5 min prayer asking only one question and just waiting in prayer to see if an answer came. Well we went back on Thursday and when we asked about how the prayers had gone the father (who has always kinda been against religion but likes to listen to us and has said multiple times "I won’t get baptized till I know for sure that it’s the right one") doesn’t really answer the question but he looks at me and says "You know the other day I was talking with my wife and it’s kinda personal stuff but I feel like I am getting there. I feel like I want to do this and I will probably do it before you leave." I felt the spirit so strong in that moment. Realizing how much he had to have come to say that. It’s hard to describe what he was like before but it is a big change and he said instead of being baptized after his wife he would like to lead her there. I just know this gospel is true. I wish you could be here to see and feel what I felt when he said that. I felt so humbled and privileged to be able to hear it. In all honesty it’s not that huge but really it is. Then with the Garridos we really were able to have an awesome lesson with them about prayers and we shared experiences about when we had felt the spirit. It was the first time in a long time that someone had asked me to share my story of conversion. I like always-- felt again the same feeling I felt then. It was fantastic and they are really diving into the Book of Mormon now. Also we went on exchanges yesterday and today and I went back to my old area--Tampa 5c. Well I felt bad because I pretty much planned the day out for the elders because Jaqueline and the llanos family had asked me when I was coming down and if I would go see them. So we went to see llanos (we got to baptize their daughter Brideli) and they cooked me what I had asked them to cook me which were empanadas. But not the Mcdonalds apple pastry kind. The really good kind. It was just very fun to be over there and I felt so much love for that family. The Hermana had kinda been less active before we went over and now she just got called to be the Relief Society secretary. She was so grateful and just kept expressing how grateful she was for all the help we had been able to give her. I felt again my love increase not only for her and her family but also for my loving Heavenly Father. He truly knows me. I can’t wait to be able to see her and her parents enter the temple again someday to be sealed for all time and eternity. Then we went to Jaqueline’s house and well it was also beautiful. We had helped her move in and so I got to see it all complete and it was beautiful! Not to mention after I left she was able to get baptized due to some very serious things happening. Anyways she had bought cake and cookies to share with us and then on top of that she bought me and Elder Russell (which we are not even her elders anymore) cologne which was so nice and then she expressed her gratitude for everything we had done to help her and for having shared the gospel with her. Sometimes as missionaries we forget what we are sharing and the power it has to change lives, but last night I was reminded of how marvelous and wonderful it is. The gospel is a light unto the world. It brings peace to those who have none and offers comfort to the weary. I love it with all my heart and wish that I could do this forever! Of course you all would have to move here to Florida because I don’t know how much longer I can make it. I feel so much joy and happiness and have come to know so much more strongly than ever before. I love you guys and miss you so much.
LOVE ELDER OLIVER